


Moments

by network



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Adventure, F/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rebuilding, Rebuilding Hyrule, Romance, one shots
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-11
Updated: 2019-01-10
Packaged: 2019-10-08 01:22:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17376872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/network/pseuds/network
Summary: Moments from Link and Zelda's life post-Calamity. From figuring out their relationship, to rebuilding Hyrule, dealing with being royalty, family life and everything in between.Really just fluff, I want them to be happy.





	Moments

Zelda smiles lightly as she holds up the slate, the ancient technology sitting comfortably in her hands as she sequesters herself away in a natural alcove dug into a cliff face, long grass tickling the exposed skin around her lower legs, air quieting in the late afternoon. Link had returned the slate to her a few days prior, just after they had left the Domain, and she has only just had the opportunity to take a look at the photos stored on the device. She’s surprised at the first twelve images shown to her, as they were all photos she distinctly remembers taking over a century ago. There’s Hyrule castle – both in the distance and in the foreground – forest paths, Duelling Peaks, mountains and one of the springs. For some odd reason they stir unhappy feelings in the pit of her stomach, so she moves on. The next image after this is a young child, with grey hair and a pair of ancient looking googles perched on her head. She reminds Zelda far too much of Purah, and so she resolves to ask Link about her later, moving onto the next images. After this are a few photos of greenery and sunsets, then Link perched on top of a mountain with Vah Ruta seated in the far background. The images continue like this – Zora’s domain, Gerudo desert, Hateno village and the beaches of east Necluda, until they take a darker turn.   
It starts with a blood moon – a marred, angry, bleeding orb against a crimson sky, flickering particles of hot red and void black dashing through the air like sparks and smoke from a messy fire. Then there’s the ruins – of Castle Town, the Temple of Time, the East Post, the ranch and Fort Hateno. And finally, Hyrule castle. Multiple photos document the Calamity – from afar, circled by a dark mist of black and dashed with red. Then closer, the front gates, tattered banners and dead trees, pillars of darkness, a jagged black silhouette patrolled by flying guardians. And finally, from within, the Sanctum, corrupted and coated in a thick, horrifying, dreadful layer of Malice.   
It makes no sense for Zelda to be distressed, disturbed or even shocked – she’d been trapped there, in that purgatory of a hell, for a century, after all, and had been aware enough of the damage the Calamity was causing. But seeing it with her own eyes, aside from the tired after-haze of a century-long battle, brings the direness of the situation and the extent of the needed repairs to a sudden clarity in her mind.  
She still isn’t sure as to why Link had even taken these photos in the first place – though as the images shift tone again – now photos of Link’s giant horse, Vatorra, on a grassy hill at dawn, strange orange mane tousled in the wind, another of the Hero in a distinctly feminine outfit posed next to a Gerudo woman and a sand seal, and a photo of Link with a tall red Zora – his reasoning becomes clear to her. He was documenting his journey, clearly, with photos of important places, people and things, and, as horrific as it was, the Calamity was a central component to his travels.  
She’s pulled from her thoughtful state as she can hear a scuffling sound on the cliff face below, as Link ascends the steep surface with well-practiced ease, and she laughs lightly at his strange ability (that she’s witnessed many times before but that never loses its novelty). He settles besides her on the grassy ledge, her head coming to rest on his shoulder as they sit together, comfortable in the silence only slightly disturbed by the natural ambience.  
“Link?” She asks, voice quiet as to not interrupt the peace. “Who’s the young girl in the gallery?” And, to illustrate her question, she flicks to the strange image. He muffles a snort in his sleeve, and she glances at him inquisitively.  
“That’s Purah.” He eventually replies, which somehow confuses her further.  
“How?”  
“I didn’t even want to question it.”  
“Fair enough.”  
They silence again, this time more uncomfortably, the palpable tension lingering in the air around them. When she speaks again, her voice is hardly above a whisper. “Why’d you take photos of it?”  
“Of what?”  
“The Calamity.”  
He pulls away from her at that, and a small frown graces her features at the slightly distressed look on his face, regretting her inquiry.  
It takes a while of thinking for him to respond, finally, his voice unsure and strangely timid. “I didn’t want to forget… I didn’t want anyone to forget, as selfish as that sounds.” His eyes are firmly trained on the horizon, as if intently watching an entity only visible to himself. “If I succeeded in saving you and helping to seal Ganon away, the images could serve as a warning of the true dangers of the Calamity. And if I failed – well, maybe the slate would survive, as proof of what once was.”  
Her frown deepens, and she sits up onto her knees, resting the slate on the soft grass. Capturing his face in her hands, she shifts his head around to face her, saddened by the tears pooling in his eyes. “We’ll never forget the Calamity. This world will never forget the Calamity. But that doesn’t mean you have to torture yourself with constant reminders of all we lost. We have each other, we have the champion descendants, and we have a future. You gave me a future, gave every person in this land a future.” Tears are streaming down his face now, silently, his eyes averted from hers. “I love you, Link. We’ll figure this out.”  
She brings her lips to his own, into a kiss mingled with sadness and hope, the first of many firsts in this new chapter of Hyrule. And when they part their eyes meet again, both blurred with tears, and they collapse into each other’s arms.


End file.
